| Title | : | New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2018 |
An addictive new collection of very short stories curated by Flash Fiction editor James Thomas and microfiction writer Robert Scotellaro.
Comprised of 300 words or fewer, microfiction is difficult to write but delightful and absorbing to read. With a foreword from Robert Shapard, coeditor of the Norton flash and sudden fiction anthologies, an afterword by Christopher Merrill, coeditor of Flash Fiction International, an introduction from its venerable editors, and a star-studded table of contents, New Micro is a veritable who’s who of the increasingly popular world of microfiction. Authors include newcomers and established writers alike: Amy Hempel, John Edgar Wideman, Kim Addonizio, Richard Brautigan, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Stuart Dybek, Joyce Carol Oates, and James Tate among them.
With 90 authors and 140 stories, New Micro offers a unique reading experience, a chorus of voices both fresh and familiar, real and surreal but always enlightening—distinctive and exceptional pieces of fiction that pulse and resonate, each with its own story to tell.
New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction Reviews
-
Exceptionally easy to read and very enjoyable from start to finish. This is not the first collection of micro-fiction I've gone through this year, but it is by far the best. Almost every story is a winner and I will carry this round with me to re-read, as every piece has something to say to me. plus it contains many recognizable names that I have observed growing in stature over the years. A true find and highly recommended for entertainment and/or insight.
-
Each story was an interesting read. The stories that made me feel as if I’d been told a complete story were the most impressive. There were only a few of those.
Honorable Mentions:
Erin Dionne’s New Rollerskates
John Edgar Wideman Witness
Ron Koertge Principles of Handicapping
Francine Witte Jetty Explains the Universe -
To those who complain they were disappointed because this book is a collection of older writing, I say: read the Foreward. It literally explains it’s a guide through the pathways that have lead to micro fiction being considered a category of skilled writing today. I do wish they labeled the years on the pieces’ actual pages, but the list in the back is great too.
I love micro and flash fiction and this book helped educate me on writers I had not heard of, and gave me poignant stories that drew many emotions out in small spaces of time. It was a delight to read and I would definitely recommend it as an introduction for those who aren’t familiar with the category overall, or students looking to study tone and what micro fiction “really does”: however they want to interpret that. -
The best book of microfiction I've ever come across - there are more gems in here than I can count, and so many examples of how to do this strange form right - so many beautifully crafted, haunting stories
-
For anyone wanting to get into flash fiction, I certainly recommend this book. Its first 100 pages is chocked full of great pieces that will more often then not end with a punch to the gut. The second half however, kind of lacks. The better pieces are fewer and farther between.
Some stories read like prose poetry, which added to the collections charm.
Some favorites include:
"Letting Go" - Pamela Painter
"What Jimmy Remembers" - Kim Addonizio
"Sleepover" - Bonnie Jo Campbell
"Eating William Wells Stout Heart, Fort Dearborn, 1812" - Michael Czyzniejewski
"Women When They Put Their Clothes On in the Morning" - Richard Brautigan -
Dreadful selection of short stories written in surprisingly similar styles. Reading this is what I imagine grading middle school assignments is like. A couple were good, but the poor editing made me abandon this.
No acknowledgement or research evident into similar writing innovations predating the works in this curated collection, such as short form writings in Japanese (e.g. Palm-of-the-Hand stories by Yasunari Kawabata). -
Uneven, as anthologies often are. Many pieces are from 10, 15, 20+ years ago and feel it. Not quite the snapshot of what’s new in micro fiction that I was hoping for, but a decent collection nonetheless.
-
Using 300 characters of less, authors deliver a super short story, maybe a poem. I think this is a great assignment.
-
Giving this 2 out of 5 because about 2 (or fewer) of every 5 were worth reading.
-
Great collection of little slices
-
The writing in these stories is as sharp as a ceramic knife, and the characters in each are just as fragile.
